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Mold information, mold in
your home and mold testing
Mold has become one of the
dreaded four letter words in real estate
transactions these days. The very mention
of the word "mold" sends chills up the
spines of home inspectors, home buyers, home
sellers and real estate agents.
What percentage of homes contain mold? My
best guess is just about 100%. Yes, mold is an
air borne pathogen that is in the air you and I
breath on the interior and exterior of your
home, my home and they home you may be purchasing. Far more
important is how much mold
is in the home and what type of mold is in the
home.
The fear of home inspectors and home buyers is
that you and your family may move into a home
and then suddenly feel sick. Testing of that
home may then indicate a mold may be the
problem. Next step is the new buyer does a
web search to find an attorney.
Make no mistake, our contract and report clearly
indicate in several different locations we do
not test for mold. If you wish to determine what
type mold is in the home you MUST have a mold
inspection performed prior to expiration of your
inspection contingency.
Mold and mildew are being
blamed for all types if illness in court cases
and on TV. Look at reputable medical
journals and do a search for mold. When
you search turns up few if any results you may conclude
there is a lot of hype about mold and
few if any scientific facts to back up claims
of illness from mold exposure in your home.
If there is a mold concern in the home such as
an odor or visible mold growth you would be
foolish not to test. If there is no visible
mold in the home and no mold odor in the
home you should still have mold testing
performed to protect yourself and your children
from possible exposure.
Just because the medical community is not
convinced mold is so bad for you there is no
assurance that will not change in the
future.
Home owner's insurance
companies have paid out lots of money in mold,
flooding and water claims. In case you did
not know it insurance companies like to take
money in and not pay out. Thus if there is
a history of water or mold problems in a home
insurance may not be available at affordable
rates.
Buyer must ask sellers to disclose any issues
they know of in writing. Oral statements are worth the paper they are written on.
Ask the seller and realtors if there were ever
any mold or mildew issues or mold problems in
the home!
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